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Cal Lu Holds Off Southwestern
(Nov. 13) – The No. 20-ranked Cal
Lutheran volleyball team started off strong and held off a
hard-charging Southwestern squad Saturday afternoon in the
semifinals of the Atlanta, Georgia, Regional of the NCAA Division
III Championships hosted by Emory.
The Regals posted their 29th straight win and boosted
their overall record to 29-3 in the process following a 25-15,
25-14, 25-27, 25-23 triumph over the Pirates who ended the year at
32-7.
CLU hit a solid 38.3 percent for the match (68-9—154)
compared to Southwestern’s 19.4 percent. The Regals
also enjoyed a 75-67 advantage in digs while owning a 5-4 edge in
total blocks.
Cal Lutheran had three players finish with 10 or more kills led
senior Allison Kerr who blasted a match-high 23 terminations to go
along with a 42.5 hitting percentage (23-6—40). Senior
Megan Thorpe added 17 put-aways and added eight digs while junior
Casy McWhirk posted 16 kills. CLU’s Jacki Richards and
Rachel Smith keyed the Regals’ defensive effort, tying for
match honors with 21 digs each. Sophomore Jackie Russell
dished out 58 assists and chipped in eight digs in the win.
Keying Southwestern’s effort was Allison Stubbs who
registered a double with a team-high 15 kills and 14 digs.
Sophomore Rachel Thibodeau was the other Pirate to finish in kills
with 11 put-aways. Junior Christian Nichols dished out 38
assists and chipped in a team-best 16 digs.
The win enables Cal Lutheran to advance to the Atlanta Regional
Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Regals will meet the
winner of the Emory vs. Washington & Lee match.
